Dye has low light resistance and weather resistance. Therefore, an ink containing dye, that is, dye ink is not suited for printing on a fabric used outdoors such as clothing including T shirt, labarum, flag, and the like. Furthermore, when the dye ink requires pre-processing for the fabric and post-processing for removing pre-processing agent and non-color developed dye after color development, the required time for printing becomes long and there are a lot of work for printing. In particular, if the pre-process needs to be requested to a professional, the required time for printing becomes longer, and the cost also increases.
A pigment has high light resistance and weather resistance compared to the dye. Therefore, an ink containing the pigment, that is, pigment ink is widely used for printing on a fabric used outdoors. When used for printing on a fabric, the pigment ink does not require the pre-processing on the fabric, and the post-processing merely includes heating and drying, as opposed to the dye ink. Thus, the printing on the fabric by the pigment ink can be easily completed in a short time and at low cost compared to the printing on the fabric by the dye ink.
A method by screen printing and a method by ink jet printing (see e.g., Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-291394) are conventionally known for the method for manufacturing a printed fabric using a pigment ink.